


Lust and Loneliness

by Ltleflrt



Series: Peace Begins With A Smile [3]
Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-05
Updated: 2012-04-05
Packaged: 2017-11-03 01:53:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/375787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ltleflrt/pseuds/Ltleflrt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fenris can't sleep because he misses Hawke.  Isabela finds out a way to help him.  Set in Peace Begins With A Smile during the years when Fenris and Isabela are away from Kirkwall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lust and Loneliness

She found him in his room, passed out with a bottle of wine cradled in his arms. He sat with his back against the wall, his chin resting on his chest. He hadn’t even removed his armor. He must have hit the bottle immediately after they returned from the docks.

Isabela sighed, and shut the door behind her. At least he was sleeping, even if it wasn’t going to be very restful. Luckily he handled hangovers well, because she’d lined up another job for the next day. She walked to the bed, and took the empty bottle and set it on the bedside table. She put her hands on her hips and considered the elf. She didn’t want to disturb him, but he’d be miserable if he slept in that position and still in his armor. 

Making her decision, she crawled onto the bed next to him and gently started undoing the buckles of his breastplate. Very careful not to jostle him, she removed it. Then she reached for his hand to remove his gauntlet. Her fingers brushed his skin, and the blue-white line of lyrium lit up under her touch. Fascinated, she ran the tip of her finger along one of the lines. Suddenly her hand was being squeezed in his grip. Her head came up and she met his blood shot eyes. 

“What are you doing?” he asked her grumpily. He let go of her hand, and reached up to rub his face.

Isabela sat back on her heels and rubbed the hand he’d just released. “I was trying to get you out of your armor so you could sleep more comfortably.”

He peered at her from beneath his white hair and quirked one eyebrow. “Is that it?”

“Well,” Isabela said. “I was also admiring your pretty tattoos. It’s not often I get to see them lit up when you aren’t tearing someone to bits with that big sword of yours.” She suppressed a frown. She hadn’t meant to wake him, and now he probably wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep. It had been more than half a year since they had left Kirkwall, but he still had trouble sleeping. He claimed he didn’t know why he suddenly suffered from insomnia, but she had her suspicions.

Fenris frowned when he noticed the empty wine bottle and grumbled a curse under his breath. She followed his gaze. “You know, this may sound hypocritical of me,” she said, “but I think you should cut back on the drinking.”

“I know,” he said with a sigh. “But I can't- I miss-“ He broke off and looked away. 

Isabela tilted her head. “Why don’t you go back to Kirkwall?”

“What would I have to go back to?” he asked bitterly. 

Isabela chuckled. “A sexy apostate.”

"An abomination."

Isabela tsked. "You're so close minded. It would be like a threesome without the awkwardness of extra limbs getting in the way." She paused and thought fondly of a few experiences of her own. "Of course, half the fun is all the extra... limbs," she said suggestively.

Fenris didn't laugh as she'd hoped he would, but a shadow of a smile did cross his face. It wasn't perfect, but it was progress. His brooding was sexy, but sometimes his smile gave her shivers and she missed it. She understood why he'd wanted to leave Kirkwall, but she was sure it had been a bad decision. He was miserable. He wasn’t even this bad when she first met him, and back then she could have sworn the elf didn’t know how to laugh. Now she thought he might have forgotten again. 

"So did you want something specific?" Fenris asked as he got up from the bed to remove the rest if his armor. He stripped down to the waist and began washing himself with water from the basin across the room. 

Isabela followed the lines of lyrium with her eyes. They twisted and curled over his olive skin in patterns that accentuated the play of muscles in his back and shoulders. It was a shame he seemed to prefer men because he made her mouth water. He used to be shy around her. When they had shared a cabin on the ship leaving Kirkwall he had kept himself hidden, only undressing when she wasn't around or if she was sleeping. After a year of sharing rooms off and on and seeing her in various states of undress, he had eventually gotten over it. But his manner did not invite any further intimacies. She mentally sighed. Such a shame.

“We’ve got a job tomorrow,” she said in answer to his question. When he glanced at her over his shoulder, she continued in response to his curious look. “Playing bodyguard to a merchant from Orlais.”

“He can’t afford to bring his own bodyguards?” Fenris asked. He finished cleaning up and turned to face her. He propped his hands on his hips and his mossy green eyes regarded her from behind his shaggy white hair. 

Isabela swallowed. Such a shame! She got up from the bed and sauntered toward the door. She had her own room, and she was going to see if she could find someone to share it with her tonight. If this itch didn’t get scratched, she was going to go batty. “Probably,” she said as she brushed past him. “But he’s visiting a Seer. I’m sure he thinks he needs extra protection. Of course, if the Seer really wanted to hurt him, guards won’t be of much use.”

Fenris’ eyebrows shot up in surprise. “A Seer?” he asked. “You mean a mage?”

“Well, not all Seers are mages,” Isabela said as she opened the door. “My mother made her living as a Seer and she had no magic at all. Just a knowledge of herbs and a lot of tricks up her sleeves.” She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. “Try to get some sleep. It’s an early morning meeting.”

The next day Isabela winced when she saw Fenris. It was obvious he hadn’t been able to sleep anymore after she’d left him. His skin was pale, and he had dark bruises under his bloodshot eyes. In the sunlight of the morning, she could also see that he’d lost more weight. She decided right then, if she had time to ask the Seer for advice on how to get him to sleep, she would. 

The trip was mostly uneventful. At least until the merchant decided he didn’t like the answer to whatever question he’d come to ask. He apparently didn’t believe the Seer had any true powers, and in a spoiled fit he demanded his guards kill the woman. 

Isabela had politely declined. Well, okay it was less than polite which is probably why the merchant ordered his men to attack her. He’d actually looked right at Fenris when he gave the order too. She’d nearly laughed out loud when the elf had rolled his eyes. His beautiful tattoos lit up and he’d slid his fingers into the merchant’s chest. Very calmly he’d explained that he didn’t betray his friends for money. The two Orlesian guards backed off when the merchant ordered them to, and Fenris let him go. 

“Well damn,” Isabela huffed as he watched them scuttle off. “No pay for that job.” She looked over at Fenris. “We’ll have to share a room to save money until I can find us more work.”

“You should share the bed too,” said the Seer from behind them. “He’ll sleep better that way.”

Isabela and Fenris both spun around the face the small, dark skinned woman. Her dark eyes sparkled at them in amusement. 

“Excuse me?” Fenris asked in confusion.

The Seer walked forward and laid a hand on the bare skin of his arm above his gauntlet. The lyrium lit up brightly enough to be seen even in the sunlight. When someone without magic touched him, the markings glowed only slightly. The Seer was obviously a mage. Fenris jerked away from her touch in surprise, but she didn’t seem offended. Her smile softened when she met his eyes. “Such a lovely song,” she murmured.

Fenris took a cautious step back. “You’re an abomination.” He’d told Isabela about how Justice could hear music coming from the lyrium. She supposed it made sense that other spirits would also hear it. It wasn’t unusual for Seers in Rivain to voluntarily allow possession either.

The Seer tilted her head at him curiously. “Are you an Andrastian?” she asked.

“No,” Fenris answered. 

“Then why do you think I’m an abomination?” she asked. “I am merely a host.”

Fenris opened his mouth to answer, but snapped it shut. Isabela itched to know what he would have said but he remained stubbornly silent. She turned to the Seer. “So you know what will help him sleep?” she asked in regards to what the woman had said about them sharing a bed. 

“Yes,” the Seer answered, still looking at Fenris. “Sleep skin to skin and you will find enough peace to sleep.”

Isabela blinked. “Wait. Are you suggesting we sleep together naked?” She turned to Fenris with a wicked grin. “I’m game.”

Fenris glared at her. “I admit I do miss the feel of Hawke’s…” he blushed all the way to the tips of his ears. “I don’t think I want to talk about this,” he said abruptly. He bowed to the Seer respectfully and turned on his heel to walk away.

Isabela chuckled. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen him blush.” She turned to the Seer. “You really think it will help him? He doesn’t usually like to be touched.”

“His body craves the contact. He’ll be less grouchy once he gets it.”

Isabela blinked. She knew Fenris felt people’s auras when they touched him. He’d told her once that she reminded him of a wind storm, and Hawke was a lightning storm. Most of the time what he felt wasn’t pleasant, so he avoided being touched as much as possible. It never occurred to her that he might actually like the feeling, but he had spent nearly a week in Hawke’s bed before the duel with the Arishok had changed everything. Maybe he didn’t just miss the mage. Maybe he missed Hawke’s lightning too.

“Thank you,” she said to the Seer. She leaned down to kiss the small woman on both cheeks and then trotted after Fenris. 

When she caught up to him, he looked at her sideways. “No,” he said.

“Oh come on,” Isabela said. “It’s worth a try, since drinking yourself into oblivion isn’t working anymore. You’re exhausted, and I’m afraid you’re going to hurt yourself.” 

“I’m fine.”

Isabela sighed, but didn’t push him any further. She wasn’t his mother and if he wanted to self destruct, that was his choice.

 

The creak of the door hinges woke Isabela. She slid her hand under her pillow and wrapped her fingers around the handle of the dagger she kept there. She opened her eyes a crack and relaxed when she caught the flash of white hair. 

“I know you’re awake,” Fenris said softly as he closed the door behind him. 

Isabela let go of the dagger and propped herself up on an elbow. “Well hello handsome,” she said. 

He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. “I um… wanted to see if…” He trailed off nervously.

It would have been entertaining to make him squirm, but he looked so uncomfortable that she took pity on him. Without a word, she scooted out of the center of the bed to give him room and flipped down the sheet. He seemed startled to find that she was already nude, but he only hesitated a moment. Without a word, he removed all of his clothing except for his leggings before he lost his courage. 

“Quit acting like a maiden,” Isabela teased. “It’s not like I can see very much in the dark.” The way he stiffened, she thought she might have scared him off but he hooked his thumbs in his waistband and pulled them off. He quickly moved to the bed and stretched out on his back next to her. 

Since he didn’t make any move to get closer, she snuggled up to his side and propped her chin on his chest. He shifted enough to wrap his arm around her, but he was completely tense. A very soft glow came from the markings on his skin, just enough to illuminate their faces. Fenris had his eyes closed, but he didn’t look at all comfortable with the situation. It took some of the pleasure out of finally getting to be naked with him. Obviously he needed a distraction and her physical charms were not enough this time. 

“I don’t know why you’re so sensitive about your tattoos,” she said, running a finger over one of the lines on his chest and watching it light up. Surprisingly, he seemed to relax slightly under her touch. “Sailors get them all the time.”

“Not made of lyrium, I’d imagine.”

Isabela continued to stroke him and his breathing began to slow. “Not a one. And the pictures are different. Usually breasts.”

“Hm. I suppose a pair of lyrium breasts tattooed onto my chest would make things better,” he said in a sleepy tone. 

“That’s me. I’m a helper,” she said cheerfully. To her surprise, Fenris chuckled. She’d missed the sound of his gruff laugh, and was inordinately pleased to hear it now. He reached up and stroked his fingers through her hair. She wanted nothing more than to pounce him, but if she had to abstain so he could get a good night’s sleep, she would. She continued to stroke him until his breathing evened out, and tried to ignore the ache between her thighs.

He shifted toward her and wrapped his other arm around her. It had been years since she had been cuddled. In fact Hawke was the last one to hold her all night long. A smile lifted the corners of her mouth as she fell asleep. She dreamed of being pressed between their two bodies.

The room was dimly lit by early morning sunlight when she awoke. At some point they had shifted until she lay on her side facing away from him, and he lay spooned against her, one arm wrapped around her waist and the other stretched out pillowing her head. She was distracted from the pleasure of his firmly muscled chest against her spine by the hard length of his erection nestled between her buttocks. Still half asleep, she rocked her hips back and forth against him.

Fenris let out a soft moan and tightened his arms around her. The hand against her stomach slipped upwards until it cupped her breast. Isabela’s eyes flew open when she felt his fingers squeeze gently. Warm lips caressed the back of her neck, causing goosebumps to flow over her skin. 

“Fenris?”

“Hm.”

“Uh… are you awake?”

He didn’t answer. The fingers on her breast squeezed again, and then slid until he could gently pinch her nipple. She gasped softly and her hips pressed backwards involuntarily. This time he pressed back, and the ripple of his muscles against her back made her shiver. She didn’t want this to stop, but she didn’t want him to be upset if he woke up like this either. 

“Fenris,” this time a little louder in an attempt to get his attention. “Wake up.”

Teeth scraped against her skin at the junction of her neck and shoulder, followed by his tongue. Isabela gave up. She slid her hand down her stomach to slip into the wet curls between her legs. She’d take care of herself and then wake him up. She rocked her hips gently back and forth against him as she stroked the nub of sensitive flesh.

Behind her Fenris shifted until his shaft slipped between her thighs. The head nudged against her wet folds, and she had to bite her bottom lip to keep from moaning out loud. If she tilted her hips just a little more…

The hand teasing her breast suddenly shifted down to her thigh and lifted it so that her legs were spread. With a slight thrust of his hips, the head of his erection slid inside of her by about an inch and she couldn’t contain the moan that bubbled up from her throat. She reached lower with her slick fingers and wrapped her hand around him, unsure whether she wanted to pull him inside of her body further or hold him so he couldn’t continue what he was doing. 

Fenris groaned against her shoulder. “I’m awake ‘Bela,” he whispered.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” she whispered back.

In answer, he pressed his hips forward. Because her fingers were slick with her own wetness she felt his hard length sliding against her palm as he pressed himself further inside. That was all the answer she needed. She tilted her hips back until he could enter her fully. They both groaned. She kept her hand between her legs, and stroked him with her fingers as he slid in and out of her.

Fenris shifted until he could prop himself on an elbow. His hand was still under her head and he used it to turn her so that he could kiss her. He slid his tongue in and out of her mouth slowly, in time with the stroke of his cock inside of her. His movements became quicker and more urgent and he pulled away from the kiss. 

“May I come inside of you?” he whispered against her lips.

Isabela nodded, and cried out as the speed and force of his thrusts increased. A warm rush of wet cum filled her. She was close herself, but when she moved to stroke herself to completion he grabbed her hand. She whimpered and squirmed as he withdrew from her. He flipped her onto her back and spread her legs. He gave her a slow smile and leaned down to dip his tongue into the curls between her thighs. He slid two fingers inside of her, pressing against the sensitive nerves inside as he tongued her in small quick circles. It didn’t take long before she was crying out her pleasure. She slipped her fingers into his hair and held his mouth hard against her as she spasmed around his tongue and fingers. 

When she finally relaxed and let him go, he crawled up and draped himself over her. They kissed, and she marveled at the taste of both of their bodies on his lips. 

Fenris leaned back and gave her a warm smile. “I feel better,” he rasped.

Isabela grinned and reached up to brush the hair back from his mossy green eyes. “So you slept well?”

He gave an amused grunt at her deliberate misunderstanding. “Yes, thank you.” He raised an eyebrow. “How do you feel?”

“Much better!” Isabela said enthusiastically. His warm chuckle made her smile. 

They both grew serious at the same time. 

“About this-“

“This was just-“

They both broke off. Fenris gave her a wry smile. “You first.”

Isabela sighed. “You realize this is just some fun between friends, right?”

He nodded solemnly. “Of course.” He looked away for a moment and she could tell he was thinking of Hawke. “I didn’t expect anything more.”

She waited for him to go on, but was slightly relieved when he didn’t. She knew he was in love with the mage, but she was not the right person for him to be talking about relationships with. Just in case he worked up the courage though, she decided to change the subject. “I thought you preferred men,” she said teasingly.

Fenris met her eyes with a sly smile. “I like women too,” he said. 

“You had eyes only for Hawke,” she replied and then mentally kicked herself for bringing up the subject she currently wished to avoid.

His eyes flashed with sadness, but it was quickly hidden by his smile. “I noticed your charms too.” He leaned down to nuzzle one of her nipples. “It’s hard not to notice, when you have so many.”

Isabela allowed him to distract her with his lips, but in the back of her mind she knew that someday they would have to talk about the mage he was in love with. He wanted to go back to Kirkwall, even though he denied it. She wanted to go back too, but she feared her reception. Not only had she betrayed Hawke when she took off with the relic, she’d also taken off with his lover. 

Hawke would probably forgive her. He’d forgive them both. But she wasn’t sure if she could ever forgive herself.

When Fenris slid inside her body once more, she let thoughts of Hawke drift away. Seeing the elf smile again gave her almost as much pleasure as his touch did. For now, she would enjoy herself. And she did… for several more hours. When they both finally fell into an exhausted sleep, her last sight was the smile on Fenris’ face and she was happy to be the one to put it there.


End file.
